Machine to clean facade of building

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for cleaning facades including glass surfaces of high rise buildings. The apparatus includes a machine having a frame for attaching components and equipments of a main unit; a thrust provider for generating force to keep the main unit in contact with the facade; a hoist to enable lifting and lowering of the main unit; a laundry unit comprising a fabric sheet to clean the facade; a roller attached to end of extended arms of the main unit; and a control unit installing electrical controls on the main unit. The machine provides a number of novel elements and safety features by applying simple design concept that is practicable to wide range of buildings of glass or flat façades.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention pertains generally to apparatus and methods forcleaning facades of high rising buildings.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The number of buildings with large glass or flat façades is increasingall over the World. These façades must be periodically cleaned usingmanual cleaning which is the conventional method today to clean externalsurface of high rising building.

Cleaning windows on high-rise buildings is both difficult and expensive.Workers utilize the Building Maintenance Unit (BMU) to reach the façade.While the cradle of BMU is moving in front of building's windows, theworkers spray water and/or cleaning detergent on window then wipe itwith sponge. This procedure has high risk for the workers and takesweeks to clean the facades of a single high rise structure. The workerssometimes have to perform their work under intense conditions leadingrisking injury. The method is also messy in operation and is highlysensitive to the weather condition. After cleaning one high risestructure the workers need to move to other side of the building withthe equipment making it a laborious and time consuming process.

Apart from the high cost and time for cleaning, another disadvantage ofcurrent systems is that windows can only be cleaned in longer intervals,and it is not cost effective to wash individual sections of the buildingeven if the need persists. Also as the façade workers are not always apart of Building Maintenance, important information could be seen orleaked during the cleaning process.

Though a few automated or semi-automatic applications exist for cleaningbuildings in the market, but have failed due to reasons like; a weaksafety concept, poor cleaning quality, requiring additional constructionto the façade, expensive initial or operating costs, unable to avoidobstacles such as an open window or minor structural protrusion. Eventhough some methods have been successful to some extent but areapplicable only to a particular building.

Accordingly, a need exists for a window cleaning system that can beoperated autonomously and which can be utilized for performing overallperiodic cleaning or performing cleaning on an as needed basis. Thepresent invention overcomes the weaknesses of existing systems by simpledesigning of the machine to clean wide range of high rise building ofglass or flat façades.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An automated façade cleaning system is described that is particularlywell-suited for washing the exterior surfaces or glass windows onhigh-rise buildings. The system can be configured for semi-automaticcleaning, or for fully automated remote cleaning operations. Althoughthe bulk of the description herein describes a fully automated system,it will be appreciated that the invention may be implemented without oneor more of the inventive aspects described and may thereby requiremanual intervention when so implemented.

The invented machine is a block of equipments and components referred toas the Main unit which can be attached to the existing BMU. The unitrequires electric power supply that may be provided through electricpower cable either from the roof of the building or ground underneathit.

In an aspect of the present invention the main unit lifting and loweringis provided by the existing hoist of BMU that is located on the roofpart of system, however on some BMU systems the hoist unit is installedon a cradle, therefore the main unit of the invented machine has anoptional winch device which can be integrated to the unit and shallprovide the desired up & down movement.

While the main unit is vertically moving on front of the façade, thesurface is cleaned by being wiped by a micro fabric sheet that isrolling on a spongy roller extended from the main unit through supportedarms.

In an aspect of the present invention thrust providing equipmentgenerates air flow that may provide the necessary pushing force towardsthe window, thereby keeping the spongy roller and the micro fabric incontact with the surface.

The fabric sheet then enters a Laundry Chamber where it gets sprayed byhigh pressure water and/or cleaning solution from nozzles that aredirected into fabric sheet to remove the particles. Afterwards the sheetis run between two or more rollers that are pressed against each othersqueezing most of the water out from it.

In an aspect of the present invention a tray collects all sprayed andsqueezed water and a small pump sends the sprayed and squeezed water toa filtration unit to remove dust, dirt, sand and other particles. Thepurified water is then sent back to a water reservation tank.

In an aspect of the present invention the water in the tank may beoptionally heated by an electrical water heater.

An aspect of the present invention is the ability to accomplish thecleaning task for different types of towers and skyscrapers depending onits construction of the external surface.

Another aspect of the present invention is to allow installing the fullyautomated façade cleaning system without the need of structural changesto the building.

Another aspect of the present invention is the reduced time ofperforming the façade cleaning tasks in comparison with the conventionalmethods and also lower consumption of water for the façade cleaningprocess.

Since the present invention eliminates direct human interference forfaçade cleaning it is safer, more reliable and can be operated on a widerange of weather conditions.

Yet another aspect of the present invention is its environmentalfriendly nature and cost effective solution over the conventionalmethods without degradation of the cleaning quality.

Further aspect and advantages of the invention will be brought out inthe following portions of the specification, wherein the detaileddescription is for the purpose of fully disclosing preferred embodimentsof the invention without placing limitations thereon.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further features and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following detailed description, taken in combinationwith the appended drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows overall the Main unit and its metallic structural chassiswhere all the components and equipments of the main unit are attached;

FIG. 2 shows the positioning of the main unit main in respect to Façade;and

FIG. 3 shows a Laundry Unit and its accessories.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring more specifically to the drawings for illustrative purposes,the present invention is embodied in the method generally described asshown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3. The following description is presented toenable one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention asprovided in the context of a particular application and itsrequirements. Furthermore, it is to be understood that inventive aspectsmay be practiced in numerous alternative ways by one or ordinary skillwithout departing from the teachings of the present invention.Therefore, various modifications to the preferred embodiments will bereadily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the principles definedhere may be applied to other embodiments. Thus the present invention isnot intended to be limited to the embodiments shown below but only byits claims.

The scope of the invention will be pointed out in the appended claims.Furthermore, aspects of the invention may be implemented separately orin various combinations without departing from the teachings of thepresent invention. Specific embodiments are typically shown having agiven set of features for the sake of clarity; however, it will beappreciated that the invention may be implemented with more or feweraspects without departing from the present invention. Few aspects of theinvention may also be replaced by mechanical means without departingfrom the scope of the present invention.

FIG. 1 shows a metallic structural chassis 5 where all the componentsand equipments of the main unit are attached and are described in anembodiment of the present invention below.

As shown in FIG. 1 the thrust provider are fans 10 driven by electricalmotors or an alternative option, the fans 10 will generate mass of airflow as shown in FIG. 2-15 in the opposite direction of the façade. Baseon arms position, height, and other aspects; the required thrust andthrust distribution will be adjusted by controlling the air flow FIG.2-15 generated by the fans 10. FIG. 1 also shows a spongy roller 20supported by arms 30 on the structural chassis 5. Hoist cable 32connecting fasteners 35 to keep the structural chassis stable. FIG. 1also show squeezing rollers 15 connected to an electrical motor 60.Water percolated by squeezing rollers 15 is collected by a tray 70. Thetray 70 collects the water and sends it to a filtration unit 45. Waterfrom the filtration unit 45 is sent to a reservation tank 50. In anembodiment of the invention a high pressure discharge pump 55 is used todischarge water into a cloth fabric sheet 28.

Thus the thrust provider helps the machine to cling on to the surface tobe cleaned and a cloth fabric sheet cleans the facades/surface.

Once the machine nears the façade a pushing force is required by themachine against the façade.

FIG. 2 shows the positioning of the main unit against the façade. Thepushing force that the cleaning machine naturally apply against thefaçade is equal to (SIN θ*the unit weight*gravity (g)). Since thehorizontal distance 26 is limited and the height 25 is increasingsignificantly in comparison to the horizontal distance 26, it results ina very small angle θ 15 and therefore a little and an inadequate pushingforce. Hence, the thrust provider is needed to generate sufficientpushing force that will keep the unit with good contact to the surface.

FIG. 3 shows a Laundry Unit with its accessories. Part of the clothfabric sheet 28 is contained in the laundry unit. The sheet is washed bygetting sprayed from nozzles 4 by pressurized water or/and detergent 2to remove particles collected from the façade. In an embodiment of thepresent invention the water to clean the facade may contain chemicalsand solutions along with for cleaning facade.

After the initial cleaning of façade the fabric sheet runs in betweenthe squeezing rollers 15 that are pressed against each other squeezingmost of the water from it. The cycle of cleaning the façade andsqueezing out the water from it is continuance. One of the rollers maybe rotated by the electrical motor 60 attached to gearbox to provide themovement and pulling force for the sheet.

Underneath the squeezing rollers and the sprayed water area is tray 70,which collects the water and sends it to the filtration unit 45. Thewater is then sent back to the reservation tank 50 where water is storeto be reused. In an embodiment of the invention a smaller water pump 43may be used to discharge the water in to the filtration unit 45collected by the tray 70.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the water in the tank isoptionally heated by an electrical water heater 52. The water is thensent to the high pressure discharge pump 55 which pumps the waterthrough a high pressure hose 57 to the nozzles 4 and dischargespressurized water 2 it onto the fabric sheet 28.

The roller 20 is attached to the end of the extended arms 30 that areconnected to the main unit. In an embodiment of the present invention,the roller may be a spongy roller. The spongy roller is to offer cushioncontact with façade surface and improve on the cleaning coverage bybeing able to reach into corners. The arms on the other end are fixed tothe main unit frame with a retractable mechanism.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the arms are attached toforce resistant shock absorbers to dump the arms movement and apply aspecific force against the façade. The main functions of the arms are;firstly, allowing the machine to avoid obstacles like an open window ora minor structural outcrop while continuing to perform the cleaning job;secondly, providing controllable mechanism for the pushing force againstfaçade.

1. An apparatus for cleaning facade of a building, comprising: a frameattaching components and equipments of a main unit; a thrust providerfor generating force to keep the main unit in contact with the facade; alaundry unit comprising a fabric sheet to clean the facade; wherein thefabric sheet is washed by getting sprayed from nozzles; a rollerattached to end of extended arms of the main unit; and a control unitinstalling electrical controls on the main unit.
 2. The apparatus asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the frame is a structural chassis configuredfor moving along the façade of the building.
 3. The apparatus as claimedin claim 1, wherein the thrust provider maybe a fan generating mass ofair flow.
 4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the laundryunit is to remove particles from fabric sheet collected from the facadeby pressurized water/detergent.
 5. The apparatus as claimed inclaim 1,wherein the fabric sheet is run between rollers to squeeze out the waterand impurities entrained during facade cleaning.
 6. The apparatus asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the fabric sheet comprises of fabric clothsheet to collect dust, sand, dirt, and smaller particles from thefacade.
 7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the water toclean the facade may contain chemicals and solutions along with forcleaning facade.
 8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 furthercomprising an optional hoist integrated to the main unit to enablelifting and lowering of the main unit when an existing hoist fails toprovide the desired movement.
 9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1further comprising a computer for controlling motion and cleaningoperations of the main unit.
 10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1,wherein the roller may extend from retractable arms allows the main unitto avoid obstacles during facade cleaning.
 11. The apparatus as claimedin claim 7, wherein the facade includes windows, panes, marble, anysmooth surface and frames.
 12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1,wherein the building includes residential apartments, towers,multiplexes, office buildings and other structures.
 13. The apparatus asclaimed in claim 1 further comprising a tray below the rollers and thenozzles to collect water and send it to a filtration unit.
 14. Theapparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein water from the filtration unitis sent to a reservation tank to store and reuse the water.
 15. Theapparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein the water in the filtrationtank may be heated by an electrical water heater.
 16. The apparatus asclaimed in claim 1 further includes a pressurizing pump to dischargepressurized water onto the fabric sheet from the nozzles.